Self-Pity

By: Quina Parchment

 

“I remember those days

when I was happy to be alone,”

I told her one night.

She nodded and said

to tell her more.

Gazing upward,

I thought I might

recall something faithful

about glittering stars,

lighting every Night.

But I cried instead

thinking, “What a dread!

I feel like

one of the billions of them,

hidden.”

 

So she drew closer,

Self-Pity,

to hug me, hold me.

I wept and said,

“True companion,”

resting my head on her chest.

 

But then

she ripped my skin

dug with bare hands

and fled

with my heart

(I

left

lifeless.)

swifter than

I welcomed her

in.

Quina Aragon

Quina Aragon

Quina Aragon is an author, speaker, and spoken word artist based in Orlando, Florida. She has written three children’s books—Love Made, Love Gave, and Love Can—and a book for adults, Love Has a Story. Her first fiction book, a novel-in-verse titled If Hurricanes Were Flowers, is set to release in 2027 with InterVarsity Press. Born in Manila and raised in Orlando, Quina is of Filipina, Puerto Rican, and Jamaican descent. As a first-generation child of immigrants, her writing explores identity, migration, and how our personal and cultural stories echo Scripture’s grand narrative. She has helped create projects through her writing, editing, creative vision, teaching, and/or performing for clients like Christianity Today, Vū Virtual Production Studios, YouVersion Bible App, Propel Women, Chasing Justice, Truth's Table, The Gospel Coalition, Ballet 5:8, InterVarsity Press, Bethany House Publishers, Moody Publishers, The Good Book Company, Harvest House, Risen Motherhood, Cru, Proverbs 31 Ministries, Training Leaders International, and many more.

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